Chocolate cheesecake squares

I made these for a friend’s birthday who was throwing a housewarming party and a birthday party all at once; I felt they were celebratory enough to be a 2-in-1 kind of delicacy. It definitely had a creamy cheesecake taste, but the main idea was still chocolate all around. In the crust, in the cheesecake, in the chips.

I’m not quite sure what else there is to say about cheesecake squares, except maybe that the days have been getting longer, this morning when I got out of the subway station at 7.40am, it was almost daylight! and it truly made my day. So I thought I would start the week on a positive note, with chocolate and cream and whatnot. Because we can. Cheers!

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Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the crust:

- 5 oz chocolate wafers (mine were covered in chocolate too)
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup sour cream (or creme fraiche)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg + 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup sugar ( I used 1/2 brown, 1/2 white)
- 2 drops almond extract
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. To make the crust: Line an 8-inch square baking pan or a round 11-inch tart pan with parchment paper. Add the chocolate wafers to a food processor and mix until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until just combined. Press the wafer mixture at the bottom of prepared pan, with your fingers or the back of a spoon, until it forms an even crust. Place in the freezer.

2. To make the cheesecake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Blend cream cheese and sour cream until smooth in a food processor. Add the cocoa, cornstarch, sugar, almond extract, egg and egg white and process until smooth. Remove the crust from the freezer, pour the cheesecake mixture over it, even out the top with a spatula if needed. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

3. Bake until just set, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Cut into squares before serving, wiping the blade of the knife between each cut.

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My tips:

- You don’t need to rinse the bowl of your food processor between the first and the second use.
- You can refrigerate the squares for up to 2 days after cutting them.

Source: One Perfect Bite.

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